A Dayton-area security firm has filed a lawsuit against Wilberforce University.

Area security firm files $50K lawsuit against Wilberforce University

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June 18, 2018

By Max Filby

Staff Writers

A local security service has filed a lawsuit against Wilberforce University, alleging the school has not paid for services agreed to in a contract.

In the lawsuit, filed on May 29 in the civil division of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, Moonlight Security Inc. claims that Wilberforce University breached a contract and owes it $50,350 plus interest.

Moonlight, which is based at 2710 Dryden Road in Moraine, provided the historically black college with security officers and equipment and uniforms to those employees. Each security officer received a salary of $16.90 per hour, according to a copy of the contract attached to the lawsuit.

The university and security service entered into a contract on Aug. 15, 2017, according to the lawsuit. Moonlight sent 10 bills to the university but they remained unpaid at the time the lawsuit was filed last month.

This news organization has reached out to a Wilberforce University spokeswoman for comment on the lawsuit.

Wilberforce University is the oldest private historically black college and in recent years the school has had a history of financial problems.

Last year, the university implemented layoffs, furloughs and a 20 percent pay cut for employees. In November 2016 the school slashed $750,000 from its payroll budget in an attempt to right-size itself, then-president Herman Felton said at the time.

In January 2017, Wilberforce University put 10 acres of campus — including two buildings — up for sale for $7 million. The university wanted sell and then lease back the property, senior vice president for finance William Woodson said at the time.

The school wanted to use money from the possible real estate sale to pay off some of its debt. No sale has been announced since the property was put on the market.

The university was at risk of losing its accreditation from mid-2014 through most of 2015, due to declining enrollment.

The school was issued a “show cause” order from the Higher Learning Commission that was later lifted in November 2015 after enrollment increased by more than 85 percent to around 650 students. If the college had lost its accreditation, its students would not be eligible for federal financial aid.